Steve Kelman writes on Federal Computer Week's Lectern blog that an executive education program for federal GS-15s and colonels he teaches at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government is increasingly getting younger. Just in the past few years, he says he has noticed a growing number of GS-15s who are not in their 50s but rather in their 30s and early 40s.
"I think the class going on right now suggests the government is moving towards a tipping point in the generational transformation in the senior ranks of the career civil service," he writes. "I am guessing that half of this group is younger than 40 or maybe just barely older."
Kelman also notes some differences between the young managers and their older counterparts. Most notably, the younger cohort is more comfortable with technology, as many have connected on Facebook to ensure they can keep in touch after the program ends. Whether this means they will be more innovative and driven than the managers they are replacing is still up in the air, Kelman writes.
Are younger managers showing up at your agency? Is their leadership style or approach to work different from leaders of the past? What could this generational shift mean for the future of the federal government, particularly as Millenials move up in the ranks?
Brittany Ballenstedt
Brittany Ballenstedt writes Nextgov's Wired Workplace blog, which delves into the issues facing employees who work in the federal information technology sector. Before joining Nextgov, Brittany covered federal pay and benefits issues as a staff correspondent for Government Executive and served as an associate editor for National Journal's Technology Daily. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Mansfield University and originally hails from Pennsylvania. She currently lives near Travis Air Force Base, Calif., where her husband is stationed.
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